Raising valueRaising value

By Mark Brandau


Runaway commodity costs and sluggish customer traffic have forced most restaurant chains to boost menu prices this year. But while executives concede that they have little choice but to increase tariffs, many are giving customers ways to “opt out” of paying more by offering attractive bundled meals and combos.


Casual-dining chains, which initially sought to stimulate flagging dinner traffic with specially priced bundled meals, now are beginning to target other dayparts with packages featuring smaller portions priced around the $10 mark, or by offering extras that can be added to combos for only a few dollars more.


Chains like Applebee’s, Chili’s and T.G.I. Friday’s are placing more emphasis on lunch offers in an effort to...